


In the woods

by Drafter



Series: HxH Whump Stories [7]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Being Lost, Dark Continent Arc, Gen, Lost - Freeform, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, Wilderness Survival, dark continent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drafter/pseuds/Drafter
Summary: A Dark Continent expedition goes terribly wrong when Leorio decides to venture alone in its woodlands.
Series: HxH Whump Stories [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966612
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	In the woods

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober prompt #20: Lost
> 
> I've been wanting to write about the Dark Continent for a while, and this is what I came up with =)

'4,' Leorio scribbled on a boulder. He had to use a small stone he found on the grass and filed it until it was sharp enough to serve as a pencil. The briefcase he had brought was long gone, all the papers inside it burned in a fire when the weather got too cold, and his body started to shiver.

He looked at the messy writing on the rock and scratched his head. With a sigh, he remembered he was starving and should start to scavenger for berries again. He would love to have steak tonight, a juicy, large steak, served with veggies, fries and sauce on the side, please. But his hunting skills were not that great, and the lack of weapons made it far too difficult to catch anything. Besides, who knew what animals he could or could not eat in that hell of a place?

Berries for dinner it is, then.

Cheadle had told him to stay near the coast. He remembered that, with a bucketful of regret, every time he plucked the small fruits from their odd-looking trees. To be honest, Leorio didn't know what he regretted more: not listening to Cheadle's advice, volunteering to go get specimens from the Dark Continent for lab analysis when they arrived at the shore, or even taking on the job on the Black Whale ship in the first place. 'I'll go with option number 1, sir,' he thought. 

Nah, who was he trying to fool? It was all three of them.

The day the ship finally arrived on the dreadful Dark Continent, people aboard went bonkers. The ones that remained alive, that is. The spiteful months they spent sailing had resulted in more deaths than one could ever hope for. Leorio was used to life throwing curveballs at him. He had been in a handful of freaky situations himself — he was a Hunter, for God's sake! Had survived that hideous Hunter exam by sheer will power. But who the fuck thought it was a good idea to conduct a succession war during the trip? And what about the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka and the Mafia all murdering each other out? Buncha wackos if you ask him.

Maybe that's why Leorio was so eager to get out of that ship and breath some fresh air for a change. Get away from all the psychos he inevitably had to look after when they needed medical services. Sure, he vouched to be a doctor and help the ones in need, but watching people kill each other in the most ghastly ways and then be there to pick up the pieces and mend the ones that were left, nope, he didn't sign up for that!

Oh, well. Too late now.

The funny thing is that the air on the Dark Continent wasn't even that fresh, to begin with. It had a faint smell he didn't know exactly what it was, probably some gas he hoped wasn't poisonous. It was… hefty. And a bit fuzzy too. No wonder he had gotten lost on that land.

The flora was particularly attractive, though. The trees had shapes he had never seen before, so abstract he couldn't put into words even if he tried. Leaves were iridescent, a myriad of teal-purple-greenish colours, all shapes and sizes. Some were velvety; others were rugged and rough.

His job was to collect samples and return to the ship. Who knew what kind of substances those herbs contained? They could be revolutionary, a huge step for science and human medicine. But once he stepped into that marvellous and creepy forest, staying near the coast was just not enough.

Leorio decided to advance just a little further. From where he stood, he could see some taller, odd-looking trees, berries coming from its flimsy branches, surrounded by bushes of even more distinct colours. The path to those trees was permeated with roots, some so twisted and thick he at first thought they were serpents. Leorio threaded carefully, trying not to disturb the forest too much, trying not to attract any real animals or predators — he was fully aware of the bizarre creatures that inhabited the continent.

He reached the trees and picked some berries. Analyzed them, felt their scent and their skin. Put some away in his briefcase, storing them in the glass flasks he brought along. He also collected some of the small leaves from the shrubberies, cutting his finger in one of the many thorns they held. He put his finger in his mouth, sucking the wound to stop the bleeding. And when Leorio turned back, the root-filled path was gone.

Leorio looked around, trying to find where he had come from. He took a few steps, everything seeming exactly the same. But he was so sure that the beach was in that way he decided to keep going.

And he never found the shore again.

"31," he scribbled now. His facial hair was starting to show.

Leorio was feeling weak that day, a diet consisting only of berries already showing its drawbacks. But at least the air didn't smell funky anymore, his nostrils now fully accustomed to it.

He kept walking every day in the hopes of finding the coast. Leorio had the firm belief that the ship was still there, that they were waiting for him, maybe even actively looking for him. He promised never to complain again about the mafia, the Kakin family or any other weirdo aboard. He would gladly take care of them all.

"59."

Fatigue was wearing him out. His mind was so foggy he had trouble remembering things, and he started to sleep for most of the day. For some reason, he had a feeling the sun was never up, even during the day, and darkness was all that surrounded him.

"…"

Leorio could barely hold the stone. He just looked at the boulder, trying to remember what he was doing. And what were those numbers?

He didn't have a clue. It was too dark anyway. And cold.

Back to sleep.


End file.
